Profile
Hospitality professional with 8 years of fine-dining and high-volume service experience across Austin and Chicago. Specializes in wine pairing, tableside preparation, and training new-hire cohorts in service standards. Consistently ranks in the top 10% of servers by guest satisfaction score and average check size.
Work Experience
Lead ServerMar 2021 - Present
Ember & Oak, Austin, TX
- Upsold wine pairings and premium entrées to increase average check from $62 to $89, lifting personal sales revenue by 43% year-over-year.
- Mentored and onboarded 11 new servers across two hiring cycles, reducing ramp-up time from 6 weeks to 3.5 weeks through structured side-work shadowing program.
- Coordinated floor coverage for a 90-seat dining room during weekend peak service, cutting average ticket wait time by 18% by optimizing section rotation with the kitchen team.
Restaurant ServerJun 2018 - Feb 2021
Sable & Salt, Chicago, IL
- Delivered tableside preparations including Caesar salad, steak tartare, and crêpes Suzette for an average of 35 covers per shift in a 4-diamond rated property.
- Achieved a 4.9/5.0 average on post-dining guest surveys across 14 consecutive months, earning the property's internal 'Service Excellence' recognition twice.
- Managed a personal wine book of 60+ labels and contributed to three quarterly menu-pairing updates in collaboration with the sommelier.
Server Assistant / Food RunnerAug 2016 - May 2018
The Larder Table, Chicago, IL
- Supported a 6-server team in a 120-seat gastropub, delivering up to 200 plates per shift with a dish-accuracy rate above 99% over 18 months.
- Streamlined expo-to-table handoff by introducing a color-coded ticket clip system that reduced mis-fires by 30% within the first quarter of implementation.
- Cross-trained in host and bar-back roles, enabling the venue to reduce per-shift labor costs by approximately $90 on nights with call-outs.
Education
Associate of Applied Science, Hospitality Management2014 - 2016
Triton College, River Grove, IL
Coursework in food & beverage operations, cost control, and guest relations; Dean's List two semesters